Manchester United put in yet another far-from-convincing performance but managed to scrape through with a 1-0 win against Premier League new boys Luton Town.
Profligacy in front of goal from the forwards was once again on display with Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho, and Marcus Rashford spurning glorious opportunities.
It required a second-half strike from Victor Lindelof to secure all three points and the United defender was asked about how he felt after scoring the winner.
“It was very nice. I don’t get to score very often anymore so it was fun to do it. Then it’s always special to do it at home in front of all the fans,” the Swede was quoted as saying by Fotbollskanalen.
Lindelof backing ETH
It has been a difficult season for the Red Devils with the club losing as many as nine games in all competitions so far and there has been a lot of heat put on manager Erik ten Hag.
The British media have been fueling sack rumours while claiming that the Dutchman might be losing his grip over the dressing room with the players downing tools.
But the Sweden international claimed it was far from the truth and maintained that the Dutch boss had not “lost the dressing room”. He also pointed out the fact that United are the most in-form team in the league at the moment.
“It has been tough, of course. In terms of performance, it has been up and down, we haven’t quite reached the level we wanted.
“And there will always be a lot written about a club like Manchester United. Other teams have been praised for their start to the season, but we are still only four or five points behind, I don’t know exactly.
“It’s not terribly bad, but certainly not at the level we want to be.”
The Iceman, as he is popularly referred to as, has been forced to don multiple hats during the current campaign, including playing as the left-back.
Despite injury worries in defence, the former Benfica star has not got as many chances in the heart of defence as he would have liked.
But Lindelof claimed competition for places was helping everyone improve, including himself and that he is looking forward to contributing more towards the team’s success.
Lindelof hoping to do better as season progresses
“It’s a little different. I’m not really used to it (playing as LB). I’m a player who can play in many different positions and I can do a job there but it’s definitely not the position I’m best at.
“Competition is always good, in a club like United there should be competition. I feel that I performed at an okay level. Then, of course, I can always do better.”
His contract with the 20-time English league champions ends next summer but the defender remains hopeful of extending his stay at the club he arrived back in 2017.
United hold an option to extend his deal by a year and that is likely to be triggered soon. “I get to see what happens. There is an option and it will most likely be activated,” the United star claimed.